An uninsured drug-driver handed himself into police two months after failing to show up at court to be convicted.

Connor Hamilton walked into Bury St Edmunds police station last Wednesday evening and surrendered himself to custody.

The 20-year-old had been convicted in his absence on October 30 of two drug-driving charges, driving otherwise in accordance with a licence and driving without insurance.

Hamilton, of no fixed address, appeared via video link from the police investigation centre to be sentenced by Ipswich magistrates the following morning.

The court heard police were called to reports of a suspicious vehicle in Mill Road, near RAF Honington, on March 7 last year.

Officers caught up with the MG ZS being driven by Hamilton on a provisional licence and with no insurance at about 8.50am.

When a roadside saliva sample tested positive for cocaine, Hamilton was arrested and later released under investigation pending analysis of further blood tests.

A report later showed the presence of 474 microgrammes of cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine and 75mcg of MDMA per litre of blood – the respective limits being 50mcg and 10mcg.

Appearing in court without legal representation, Hamilton told magistrates he was “going through a bad time” when the offences were committed, and that he had bought the vehicle for somewhere to sleep.

“I went out with my mates the night before but got into an argument with the person I was staying with – and I ended up driving,” he added.

Hamilton told magistrates he was now working at a funfair in Liverpool and had stopped taking drugs.

“I’ve sorted my head out,” he added.

Hamilton was disqualified from driving for 12 months, fined a total of £400 for two counts of driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a controlled drug above the limit, and fined £100 for using a motor vehicle on a road or public place without third party insurance.

He faced no separate penalty for driving the vehicle unsupervised and without L plates, but his licence will be endorsed.

He was also ordered to pay £120 in prosecution costs and a £40 statutory fee towards victims services.